Five Mindset Shifts for a Smoother Return-to-Work

Returning to work after maternity leave can bring a mix of emotions: excitement, uncertainty, guilt, anxiety. Sometimes, all of them at once.

Through my work supporting women through maternity transitions, I’ve seen how powerful a shift in perspective can be.

So, here are five mindset shifts that can help create a smoother return (and beyond):

1. Instead of fighting anxiety, get curious about it

If you're currently dreading your return date, my first suggestion might sound counterintuitive: lean into the anxiety instead of trying to push it away. Rather than telling yourself to calm down or stop worrying, get curious about what is actually causing the anxiety.

Are you worried about childcare arrangements? How you'll manage breastfeeding or pumping when you're back at the office? Or whether you've fallen behind professionally? Or how you'll balance the demands of work and family?

Anxiety can feel overwhelming when it's experienced as one big, undefined concern. Breaking it down can help you understand what is really going on. Understanding the root of your anxiety allows you to take action. You might need to clarify your childcare arrangements, talk with your manager, or start thinking about how to structure your workdays.

You may not be able to resolve every concern immediately. But taking action where you can often helps restore a sense of control and safety.

2. Let go of previous versions of success and redefine what success means to you now

Returning to work can also be an opportunity to reconsider what success means to you during this new chapter. Through motherhood, your definition of success may shift and become more personal. Priorities tend to shift through motherhood, and you might want to embrace meaningful work while also enjoying time with your family. It can make your ambition more intentional. You might still want to pursue goals that matter to you, but no longer ‘at all costs’.

Especially during the return phase, I like to focus on creating what I call ‘sustainable success’. It rewrites the idea that success equals momentary achievements and expands the definition to creating success that lasts long-term by building a career and a life in a sustainable way.

During a panel conversation that I recently joined for National Working Motherhood Week (you can watch the replay here), Jess Weisz’ reframing from “success” to “enough” stuck with me. We often have such high expectations of ourselves that success can feel unattainable. Considering that our circumstances have changed through motherhood and reminding ourselves that what we define as enough truly is enough can reduce the pressure of always striving for more, and instead invite us to celebrate the successes we achieve every day.

3. See boundaries as a strength, not a lack of commitment

One concern women may have when returning to work is how to communicate new boundaries without appearing less committed or losing their ‘edge’. I would encourage a different way of looking at this: quality over quantity. Spending fewer hours working doesn't automatically mean you're less committed. What matters is the value of your contribution.

Even in our own businesses, we can become caught up in activities that make us feel busy without meaningfully moving things forward. We create more work, attend more meetings, and take on more responsibilities, sometimes to prove our commitment, even when those activities don't contribute to our actual goals.

Motherhood can challenge that pattern. It can shift how you value your time. With new responsibilities and less flexibility, many women become more intentional about what matters, how they make decisions, and what they focus on. There's less room for unnecessary tasks and activities that don't contribute to what you're trying to achieve.

Of course, this doesn't mean every mother automatically becomes more efficient, or that working fewer hours is always possible. Workplace support and expectations matter. But you can reconsider how you demonstrate commitment.

Boundaries can also shape how your commitment and time are valued. Communicating your boundaries clearly, delivering meaningful work, and being intentional about your contribution can hence support a professional identity that is both committed and sustainable.

4. Recognise the long-term strengths motherhood brings to your leadership, instead of the short-term challenges

Especially during the first weeks back to work, it can feel challenging to adjust to the pace again, and we easily beat ourselves up for ‘not being as sharp as before’. But during this transition, it’s important to remember that it takes time to adjust to your new rhythm, both at home and at work, and that this won’t last forever.

In the long run, motherhood can develop and strengthen capabilities that are deeply valuable at work, such as prioritisation, empathy, efficiency, time management, and resilience. Take a moment to pause and recognise the strengths you’ve developed through motherhood. Once the dust has settled, they will start shining through and elevate your work and leadership style.

5. Instead of expecting yourself to ‘bounce back’, think of your return to work as the beginning of a new chapter
There is often an unspoken expectation to simply ‘pick up where you left off’. This expectation can create a lot of internal pressure to prove that motherhood hasn’t changed you, especially your professional identity.

The truth is that motherhood doesn’t make you less capable, but it does change you. It adds a new role to your life, with new responsibilities that require your time, energy, and attention. And as you navigate that role, you may also discover that some of your priorities, needs, and ambitions have evolved. So what if, instead of expecting yourself to ‘bounce back’ to who you were before, you considered your return to work as the beginning of a new chapter?

A chapter that gives you the freedom to explore who you are becoming — both personally and professionally.

If you’re taking just one thing with you today, let it be that returning to work doesn’t have to be a return to your old way of working. It can be the beginning of a new, more sustainable one that suits the version you are becoming.

And if you’d like support throughout this transition, book a complimentary consultation call. We’ll discuss what’s currently challenging, what you’d like your reality to look like instead, and how to get there.